®’í* ^ ttr tía n h CObserher
Wednesday • September 27. 2006
www.portlandobserver.coni
Minority & Small Business Week
special edition
Greg Wolley is a business advocate for minorities and others in Portland's Bureau of Purchases.
Linking
Nobody ever said running a small
business was glam orous, but advo­
cates like Greg Wolley, who help navi­
gate the ins and outs, bring women and
minority professionals one stepcloser
to success.
W olley is a jack-of-al I-trades envi­
ronmentalist, professional consultant,
and educator, helping minority and
wom en consultants and em erging
P ortland O bserver
Greg Wolley helps minority businesses gain contracts
Small Biz
with Big City
by S arah B lount
T he P ortland O bserver
photo by S ean O ’C onnor /T he
firms secure contracts with the City of
Portland. Formally, his title at the city
is coordinator o f the Professional Ser­
vices M arketing and Outreach pro­
gram.
O fte n , sm all b u s in e s s e s and
“solopreneurs” require assistance in
navigating the sea o f paperwork, cer­
tification. qualification and registra­
tion required to work with city bu­
reaus. Keeping a low profile, Wolley
is one o f many individuals acting as a
i ni .m i nii ni> i mn i ii'HWMif
‘Spice
liaison for small and big biz.
“A lot o f project m anagers aren’t
aware there are small, minority-owned
businesses out there,” he said. C on­
versely, he said government agencies
can be overwhelm ing for profession­
als who don't know where to turn or
who to call.
Wolley joined the Bureau o f Pur­
chases, Portland’s newly created pro­
fessional services outreach program,
nearly two years ago. His purpose at
the city is to assist small businesses,
specifically professional consultants
with established firms, who seek con­
tracts with the City.
Wolley links his clients to project
m anagers, m any o f whom a re n ’t
aware o f the num ber of emerging and
minority-owned business owners.
A lot o f project managers
area Y aware there are
small, minority-owned
businesses out there
- Greg Wolley, Portland Bureau of Purchases
j w
ì i U ot x
I ■
r;
.S'.".-
“Sometim es city government runs
on its own entropy, hiring familiar
com panies," Wolley said. “ My m is­
sion is to help break that cycle and
open new opportunities.”
His headquarters are rooted in the
city building downtown, but the breadth
o f W olley's work is done through a
num ber of outreach programs to iden­
tify prospective contractors.
His adjunct office is a table at the
Seattle's Best coffee shop across the
street. There, Wolley meets with new
clients who are past the idea stage but
need more information about working
with the city.
Shirlene W arnock, ow ner o f the
professional consultant firm Innova­
tive Growth Solutions, met w ith Wolley
at the coffee shop a little more than a
year ago. Arriving with some o f her
continued
on page B8
.
Northeast’s New Excitement
Owner takes reigns from Billy Reed’s
by L ee
P erlman
I iii P ortland O bserver
Billy R eed’s Restaurant and Bar is
gone forever. In its familiar place at 2808
N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. is
“Spice.”
Ow ner Al Martinez say that the name
change is a deliberate attempt to bring a
fresh start to the restaurant and bar that
stood for w hat’s going right with eco­
nomic prosperity on the northeast Port­
land thoroughfare.
The new name, Martinez says, is in-
Al Martinez brings a sense of
excitement' to his new restaurant
'Spice' in the Standard Dairy
building on Northeast Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
photo by M ark W ashington /
T he P ortland O bserver
i
tended to convey "a sense of excitem ent."
Since taking over the establishm ent a
few months ago from former ow ner Bill
Reed, Martinez has introduced a new,
more upscale menu, featuring such items
as ribs, pork loin, salmon
Florentine, penne pasta, butterm ilk
chicken and steaks; while retaining the
popular menu fare o f burgers, BLTs and
R euben's.
The south end o f the establishm ent is
still a bar and lounge, with TVs tuned to
sports events, and live music on w eek­
ends. Martinez welcomes custom ers to
his “spice hour" from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.,
and a bar menu featuring wings, nachos,
Cajun pasta, or ravioli.
Patrons have the choice o f enjoying a
reasonably priced drink with the gam e
continued
on pone US
‘Reflections’
Anchors
Marketplace
Curiosity Leads
to Work as
Architect
Entrepreneur
Finds Demand for
East Coast Fashions
Going with the flow in a
changing neighborhood
Bill Hart leads his own
company
Itchy Palms boutique shakes
up local scene
See page B9
See page B5
See page B11
r